How to Grow Enoki Mushrooms: Cultivation Methods and Key Management Points Explained

Enoki mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) is an edible fungus cultivated in autumn-winter and early spring. It is nutritious, delightfully fragrant and delicious, and is deeply loved by the public. So, how do you grow enoki mushrooms?

1. Care Methods

1. Substrate Selection

You can use sawdust, rice bran or wheat bran mixed with water at a ratio of 8:2 and stirred thoroughly as the culture medium, with the pH value best adjusted to around 6. For the sawdust, it is best to choose sawdust from broadleaf trees, not from pine or fir. Note that too much sawdust easily causes the culture medium to dry out, while sawdust that is too fine results in poor aeration.

2. Light Management

Both its mycelium and fruiting bodies can grow in a lightless environment, but under lightless conditions the caps of the fruiting bodies grow slowly and remain small, very easily forming deformed mushrooms, while overly strong light easily leads to poor stipe growth. A weak, scattered-light environment is preferable.

3. Water Management

During its mycelium growth stage, the moisture content of the culture medium should be kept at 65%-70%. If the moisture is below 60%, it easily leads to poor growth; if it is above 70%, the oxygen in the culture medium decreases, which likewise affects mycelium growth. During the fruiting body formation stage, the environmental humidity should be kept at 85%, and during the fruiting body growth stage, around 90% is preferable.

4. Temperature Management

Its temperature control is relatively strict and needs to be adjusted by stage. During its mycelium-running period, it is best to maintain a temperature of 22°C-25°C; during the pinhead-inducing period, the temperature should be controlled at 10°C-15°C; during the uniform-growth period, a temperature of about 8°C is required; and during the growth stage, a temperature of 8°C-15°C is preferable.